Scouting out Southgate

By Robert Plunket | March 12, 2008

Scouting out Southgate Check out some of the best buys in town right now. By Robert Plunket This week we’re taking a close look at Southgate, the granddaddy of all Sarasota housing developments. Dating back to the 1950s, it’s full of classic Florida ranch homes, some... Read more »

This week we’re taking a close look at Southgate, the granddaddy of all Sarasota housing developments. Dating back to the 1950s, it’s full of classic Florida ranch homes, some in original condition, some nicely updated. When I first moved here, it was strictly for the little old ladies. Well, those days are over. Today it’s hip and cool, with a wide mix of residents, the perfect location, and some of the best buys in town.

The Jennings house.

Take this house on Jennings, for example. It’s the cheapest MLS listing in Southgate, at $164,900. It hasn’t been updated and is a little shabby inside but it seems like a solid, well-built house, and God knows the price is right. Nice layout, three bedrooms (good size) and two baths, with original tile. Terrazzo floors, one-car garage, nice back yard. This house could easily be updated by the new buyer with just a little help from Home Depot. Here’s your chance to get into Southgate at a great price. (P.S. – I checked out some others costing $20,000 or $30,000 more and they weren’t any nicer.) Call Roger Piro at Town and Country Real Estate.

2064 Botany Ave.

By now most of the homes in Southgate have been remodeled, but few as well as 2604 Botany Avenue. It’s a classic 1950s ranch with Colonial details. Its owners fixed it up not as a flip but as their own house and the attention to quality shows. They spent $30,000 on the kitchen alone. Great bathrooms. It’s a 3/2 split plan, and the landscaping is beautiful: a manicured front lawn and what is known here in Sarasota as a “Selby Gardens backyard” – oaks and ferns, very shady and tropical. The asking price is $294,900 and the lister is Deborah McLaughlin at 321-5174.

3330 Pembrook Drive

And finally, there’s the house that I fell in love with. It’s at 3330 Pembrook, technically across the street from Southgate, in Village Green. This is a Ruth Richmond house; she was a local builder back in the 1970s and her homes are sought after today for their quality design and special touches – check out the “I Dream of Jeannie” bathrooms. It’s not big – a little over 1,200 square feet – but it has a great bright, sunny feeling, and all the rooms open out onto the pool overlooking the golf course. It’s the perfect set up for the Sarasota lifestyle. Again, this one would be an easy update. It’s in terrific shape. Asking $299,000. Call listers Carmen Baskind and Martha Warren at 957-4663.